Monday, July 30, 2007

Day 43 – A Day to Remember … 14+ hours at Disney World

It was a long day … but everyone held up well … and all agreed it was one of the highlights of the great adventure.

We started out at Animal Kingdom



strolling through the Asian section



We encountered this Anandpur bus





After seeing the “Lion King” and a quick tour of the Animal Kingdom


We went to the Magic Kingdom …


starting out on Main St USA with a view of the Cinderella Castle



Pa Pat created a very detailed plan that enabled us to see as much of Disney as possible in 1 day…



Here are the girls with Walt Disney and Mickey Mouse …


Next, we went to EPCOT (Experimental Prototype City of Tomorrow)



We saw the “Living Seas Pavilion” … where Nemo resides …



and we went on the Nemo ride …



Then Pa Pat had a nice surprise planned and arranged a private session with Mickey and Pluto …








after looking a few other things in Future World, including tomato Mickey Mouse



we went over to the World Showcase …

where we visited all of the countries …

The United Kingdom …


France…


Morocco


Japan…


America…


Italy…


Germany…


Mexico…


Canada


One of the photographic works of art was spoiled by an intruder …

When it got dark we went back to the Magic Kingdom to see the night parade and the fireworks …


And to finish up the night at Disney World, we rode on the Pirates of the Caribbean ride, and saw the “real” pirates …


Having ridden on the monorail and the “people mover” we went back to the parking lot to leave on a Ferry Boat … and we had to very tired but happy little Thai Princesses, collapsed on the deck of the boat.…


and so ended our exciting day at Disney World …

Monday, July 23, 2007

Day 44 – A cruise on a gambling ship out of Port Canaveral

On Sunday, July 15th, 2007, we drove to Port Canaveral on the East Coast of Florida, saw many of the super large cruise ships, and we went on a cruise aboard the Sterling Cruise Line Ambassador II.

Gigg had worked on a gambling cruise ship in the past, so it was nothing new for her, and her “game machine” was her favorite companion … cheaper … and while there was no chance of a big jackpot, there was zero chance of a loss.


This was the day after our physically challenging day at Disney World, so the usual perky, happy, smiling models … were not initially available …

As the day progressed, everyone got happier and we began to enjoy the cruise …


In this picture, I was attempting to get a picture of the ship, but before I could get into a good position … the gentleman you see walking briskly toward us in the right side of the picture … politely advised us that we were in a restricted area and had to leave ... so this was the best picture of the ship I could get …

If you want to see the ship you can go to www.sterlingcasinolines.com and click on “ship facts”.

We didn’t do a lot of actual gambling … and “pa Pat” was the big loser of $10.00, and everyone else also lost … except Su, who had a gain of 400% of her betting money. (and she was also smart enough to cash in her winnings on the 5 cent slots, and keep the entire $4.00.)

While Gigg had been on many cruises, this cruise was the first time Su had been on a ship, so she has had two firsts on this trip … first plane ride and first cruise …


In the evening, since it was Mike’s birthday, Su wanted to help celebrate with some Margaritas. She assisted in their preparation …


And enjoyed the actual consumption …


….and believe it or not, she was able to continue to speak English after drinking 2.5 drinks…

Jessica and her boyfriend stopped over later in the evening and they all had a good time chatting.

Day 42 – Universal CityWalk, Downtown Disney and Pleasure Island

We visited Universal’s CityWalk …



and did a little surfing …


paid homage to NASCAR …


visited the Universal Hard Rock Café…


and even took a moment to pay tribute to Bob Marley…


and of course we had to see Margaritaville…


We stopped by the beautiful Royal Pacific Resort Hotel




Then we made our way to Downtown Disney and Pleasure Island…



By this time, Su was already getting a bit tired of walking …so she used an express mode of transportation…


Some of the many things we saw and did were:

the girls had an opportunity to try out a Harley Davidson …



Photographer at work, with the world’s largest Disney Store in the background…


We walked through the Rainforest Café …


sat with the famous Irish poet, Patrick Cavanaugh… (the Thai gals have an affinity for hard, metal men)


Both girls had a chance to prepare for their weddings …


And Su even practiced her “I do’s” …


Of course we have a picture of “3 princesses” …


There are a lot of nightclubs and bars on Pleasure Island …


…but it was a bit too early for them to be in full operation … and we were all getting tired from a long day of walking.

Dsc2810